.38 Special

A chambering recorded on 3 of this directory’s handgun records, published by 2 manufacturers.

Records sharing a chambering are separated here by the directory’s frame class, because those two fields together are what decides whether a side-by-side is worth publishing at all: a comparison is only built when both records share a chambering and a frame class. Capacity, barrel length, and weight are secondary readings within each group, and every figure below carries the dated source it came from on its own record.

At a glance

Records: 3
Manufacturers: 2
Source verified: 3 / 3
Standard capacity: 5–6 rounds
Barrel length: 47–57 mm / 1.87–2.25 in

By frame class

Frame class is this directory’s own normalization of the size class a manufacturer publishes, never a measurement it infers. Records whose maker states no size class are grouped last and stay unclassified, because there is nothing to normalize from — not because they are awaiting research.

Classification pendingCarries a maker size label the directory has not yet mapped to a class: Small.1 record →No size class publishedThese manufacturers publish no size class for these records, so the directory has none to normalize.2 records →

Classification pending

1 record

Record	Manufacturer	Capacity	Barrel	Status
856	Taurus	6 rounds	≈50.8 mm / 2 in	Source verified · 2026-09-30

No size class published

2 records

Record	Manufacturer	Capacity	Barrel	Status
LCR	Ruger	5 rounds	47 mm / 1.87 in	Source verified · 2026-09-30
SP101 Standard	Ruger	5 rounds	57 mm / 2.25 in	Source verified · 2026-09-30

Every specification behind these records is published beside its source URL, access date, and evidence tier — see the methodology. Spotted an error? Submit a correction.